Trackback Address ::

Nearby Eulji-ro Bangsan Marketplace, there is a small restaurant next to U.S Army Corp of Engineers FED’s exit 2. Won Bossam was written on a standing signboard, but this store is also called Jang Soo Bossam. The entrance’s style looked in the 70s. They have plenty of menus; Baekban (meal with a bowl of rice, soup, and side dishes), Naengmyeon (Korean cold noodles), Bossam (boiled pork eaten with a salty sauce and wrapped in greens) with rice, and kimchi stew. This place became famous through the Internet.

Food service industry in Korea is influenced by franchise. From chicken to coffee, franchise stores have lots of food industry, which increases fierce competition. Bossam franchises are no exception. Among them this 'Won' Bossam is known for its numerous stores. There is a rumor that the owner of Jang Soo Bossam is related to Won Bossam's franchise, but no one knows exactly.

One thing that is certain is that both restaurants have delicious food. There are four tables in the hall and you can also seat on the second floor. Even though it was not dinner time, a half of the tables were booked with middle-aged gentlemen who were drinking.

I ordered 'one bossam package' and the owner said bluntly, "sure, you should order one. No reason to order two bossam." if I had not known the rumor that the owner is unkind, I would have leave. But truth is she is not that kind of person. It is just her way influenced by years of experience; people would not leave because of her blunt words and they would not think she is a bad person. She is confident of her food. Anyways, she served savory kimchi with oyster. Expectably, it was well-ripened and very delicious.

Oyster is very expensive in these days. So maybe this kimchi full with oysters is more pricey than main dish, bossam. In general, most restaurants have Geotjeori (fresh vegetable salad dressed with garlic and chili powder Kimchi). Some people like well-ripened kimchi but others don't like its unique smell. It is hard to store kimchi inside of the restaurant and then wait until they ripe. That's why most restaurants don't have savory when they serve kimchi. But this store was different. They were well-ripened and it was just the way Koreans like.

Bean sprouts soup goes well with bossam. Also, salted shrimp is a perfect partner with pork. Finally, bossam was served. But I was really disappointed by its tiny size. I was thinking about posting this place as a failure in finding famous restaurants. I looked the owner. She was smiling.

But my thought was changed immediately. I was wired into eating bossam and in ten minutes, ate all. Before I eat them, I was pretty sure that the portion of food was too small, but I was really full. Unlike bossam in franchise which spread the meat widely on the dish, this bossam was piled up. Soft and chewy boiled pork with oyster-kimchi was literally melt away in the mouth. As I said, the portion of the food was very different from what it looked like. It was really large in quantity.

One of my companies ordered a bowl of rice. It was just a bowl, but the owner set five more side dishes. Her strategy was rare in this barren world. She kept taking care of customers and giving more side dishes and bowl of rice. She asked "you want more?" to the last.Unlike its shabby exterior, it does have a reason for its popularity. Even though they are small and only have a few tables, it gave an impression of big fancy restaurant. I feel like finding some cultural properties in Seoul.

Trackback Address ::

These are most common late-night meal. Among them, pork hocks is the best menu for employees to release their stress.

Thanks to a vulgar belief that pork hocks are good for skin and because it is a perfect partner with drink, this food has gained popularity, surpassing chicken and sweet-sour pork.

Even though O-gyupsal(kind of bacon) need less process to be food than Sam-gyupsal, people like O-gyupsal more because it is chewy. Like this, people like eating pork hocks because they are chewy.

Feeling a sense of accomplishment by chewing something is maybe because of DNA people have which give them joy when they bite food like animals’ feeding habit.

There is no specific reason why Jangchung-dong has many pork hocks stores. Anyway, it is known for pork hocks. Pork hocks in Chonho-dong is also famous, but it is mostly for middle-aged class. Many couples prefer Jangchung-dong as their dating course.

At Dongguk Univ. Station (subway line number 3), take exit 3. Pork Hocks Alley starts from that exit. In afternoon, lots of people visit here. More than 10 restaurants have valet parking service and are busy with drawing customers.

Phyeongnam Halmeoni(means grandma) Jokbal is located in the entry to Pork Hocks Alley. They have a good parking service, which is a good advantage in this congested Seoul.

The restaurant is a three-story building and each floor has many six-people tables. You can have meeting separately.

Before the food was ready, ssamjang, lettuce, perilla leaf, radish shreds, and salad with chives and onions were served. This salad was distinctive, sweet, and cool. Also it was perfect partner with pork hocks.

I ordered big size pork hocks and it was enough for 3 or 4 people.

It was convenient to hold pork hocks' bone when I ate. In very small pieces of hocks, there were meaty sides.

Usually people more like the meat with fat and gelatin than fillet.

I ordered Pajeon (Welsh-onion pancakes) and the owner served chives pancake for free. Eat this food with onion in soybean sauce. It would be enough for two people to order So (means small) sized-pork hocks and for four people to order Dae (means large) sized one. If you order these pancakes, you will be moderately stuffed.

You can have refills of every side dish including lettuce and perilla leaf. Shredded radish's pungent taste and hot red pepper powder go well with soft pork hocks. Pancakes here are different from Gwangjang Market's one which were fried pancakes. Crispy mung beans with fresh vegetables make pork hocks more perfect.

There are lots of signatures of celebrities on the wall; Lee Young Ja, Hwang Young Joe, ZE:A, Eom Jeong Hwa, and Kim Mun Su the governor. You have to reserve a seat before dinner time, or you should line up. Usually at six, the whole tables are fully booked.

The owner not only carries the food to the table but also set cars in line. Sometimes he broils pancakes.

You can take out your food left over. But it seems like he makes another whole food; he packs ssamjang, lettuce, salted shrimp, and even chives pancake! This kindness and affection make this restaurant more famous in Jangchung-dong pork hocks alley.

Tteok galbi, also called Grilled minced rib (a rib meat, seasoned with soy sauce, ginger, garlic and wine), was served with broiled rice-cake. It looks like hamburger patty, but much softer, sticky, and savory. It is originated from Jeolla-do (one of the region in Korea). Rice cake and meat are perfect partners for each other.

Pickled hot peppers also goes well with Tteok galbi and it makes the food less oily.

Noodels with Kimchi was really cool and chewy. Pyeongyang dumpling looked like dim sum. It had transparent dumpling skin and really soft and light.

I also ordered bibimguksu, noodles mixed with vegetables and red pepper sauce. We Koreans really like noodles because after the Korean War, people used noodles a lot. It is easy to cook and store.

Even though it was a small place, the food was excellent. I think it is good idea to have a date in this quiet area and then eat these nice food.

Trackback Address ::

In Korea, alley culture is a phenomenon with concentration on city and industrialization. Because we Koreans had farming life, we made roads and streets around the house, which is a totally opposite way in industrialized city.

Anyway Namdaemun sijang (South Gate Market) is very big and has long history. It was made in 18th century and it lost its vitality for a while because of modernization. However, these days, thanks to foreigners and curiosity for Korean traditional market, it became alive.

Kalguksu Alley is 50m long and about 20 restaurants are in this alley. Even though this area is backstreet, thanks to cheap and delicious food, it became famous.

Take line number four and exit 5 at Hoehyeon / Namdaemun Market Station. Turn right and go straight down for 20m. You can see the alley on your left.

There were lots of people and they all waited in line. Some touted for business on the street. Only 9 or 10 tables were set in each restaurant.

You can order single item or set menu like bibimbap (boiled rice with assorted mixtures), boribab (boiled barley), or chalbab (cooked glutinous rice). If you order bibimbap, you can get Kalguksu(noodle) and bibimnaengmyeon (cold buckwheat noodles mixed with red pepper sauce). If you order cooked glutinous rice, you can get vegetable side dishes, Kalguksu, bean paste soup, and bibimnaengmyeon.

Set menu is really good because you can try three different food at the same time.

Almost every store in this area sell this set menu. Eat cooked glutinous rice with sliced seaweed and simply mix vegetables and rice with red pepper paste when you eat bibimbap.

When I was eating cooked glutinous rice and bibimbap, they served noodles and naengmyeon. This food alley was very busy with so many people and so many dishes.

The original purpose of this food alley was not for common people or tourists. It was for merchants or people who came to this market. But it gains its popularity more and more thanks to its delicious and cheap food.

I think more lighting, neat and tidy kitchen, and comfortable chair will make this place better.

Location :Take line number four and exit 5 at Hoehyeon / Namdaemun Market Station. Turn right and go straight down for 20m. You can see the alley on your left.

Trackback Address ::

Ssam, which means rice and condiments wrapped in leaves of lettuce, cabbage, sesame, or other greens, is good for people who want both fancy and simple food, especially at home.

First of all, almost all ingredients can be used in this dish.

Kimchi, which is a main dish in Korea, also can be used in Ssam. Chives, scallion, garlic, and onion are excellent for Ssam, too. If you have a small garden, these ingredients are very basic and easy to get. You can use pumpkin leaf, kail, dandelion, cabbage, and so on. Even though you don't have a garden, you can get these from nearby market.

If you don't like vegetables, you can use seafood: sea mustard, kelp, and weed.

Ssamjang, a mix of soybean paste and red pepper paste, is a basic sauce when you eat Ssam. Other than this, salted anchovy, shrimp, or clam are also good for sauce.

This Ssam is similar to wrap. Rice wraps in Vietnam, burrito or tortilla in Latin, and food with leaf of corn or palm leaves in Southeast Asia.

"Myeongdong Yetnal Boribab Ssambab (Boiled Barley & Rice Wrapped in Greens)" nearby Gongdeok Station is famous for its Ssam. Take exit 1 , make a U-turn, and go straight for 10m . Then turn left and go straight for 100m. You can find an intersection. Go straight for 100m again, turn left, and there you go.

Take off your shoes when you enter the room because you should sit on a cushion. This is a generalized way for Koreans but maybe not for foreigners.

They serve rice wrapped in greens with stir-fried black pig, barbequed beef, or sea snail. Also there are boiled barley and pancake with chives. Set menu, which is 24000 won and includes ssamjang with soft-shell clam, stir-fried black pig, boiled barley and various vegetables, is enough for two people.

Unusually, they served scorched-rice water (poured water after cooking rice in an iron pot) and steamed potato.

You can order steamed kimchi with mackerel for 8000 won, fried rice for 2000 won, noodles with a young radish for 3000 won, and extra ssamjang for 5000 won.

Huk Dweji (Black pig) is rare because it is raised in some partial areas and famous for its chewy meatiness. One clerk put a basket of vegetables on the table. Lettuce, chili, poached pumpkin leaves, perilla leaf, kail, bok choy, romaine, scallion, angelica root , dandelion, and napa cabbage!

In freshwater snail-Ssamjang, there were lots of freshwater snail, which has a bitter taste and goes well with soybean paste.

Put two or three vegetables on your palm and put stir-fried pork, soybean paste, and garlic if you like. Especially, angelica root has a very bitter taste, so only one piece of it is enough. Mix rice and vegetable side dishes with red pepper paste. You can add perilla oil and make Ssam with that rice.

You can use any kind of ingredients; DIY food!

A pancake with chives was crispy and aromatic.

Lots of broadcasters and celebrities visited this restaurant. On the wall, their signatures and a frame which says 'Give great fortune to my customers' were hanging. When you have a no appetite or in a tough time, visit this place and refresh yourself.

Trackback Address ::

Cosmos festival and Gobchang (beef intestines) alley are really famous nearby Han River Park in Gu Ri. In Guri Station, take exit 3 and turn right to enter food alley near Doldari Saghuri (intersection). This area is also called Doldari beef intestines alley, which is full of restaurants selling beef ntestines.

To get there, it is easiest way to take Jungang sun (central line) form Sangbong Station or Mangu Station. Because of lots of people going on a bike trip, the seats in subway is folding seat.

Doldari intersection, which means a stone bridge intersection, is originated from one actual stone bridge in the past.

Doldari beef intestines alley is located between Guri Station and Guri Marketplace.

There are so many famous beef intestines restaurants in this area.

From Doldari intersection to Gum Bae intersection, there are more than ten restaurants. In Guri, beef intestines with various vegetables and Dang myun (cellophane noodle) is famous menu other than grill or stew.

I went to Yu baksa wonjo gobchang (The Originator Mr. Yu's beef intestines).

All tables were already filled with people when I got there.

There were abundant vegetables and beef intestines. Clerks were very busy because they had to grill these intestines, which made me hungry.

The important thing in this food is cleansing. People might have resistance by its unique smell

They also have stir-fried sundae, sundae with intestines, gristle, and chicken foot.

They offer drink, beverage, and fired rice.

Beef intestines with veggie includes lots of cellophane noodle. Beef intestine was chewy and soft.

You can eat intestines, vegetables, and noodles wrapped in lettuce leaves. There are few side dishes: garlic, chili, and sea mustard soup .

There are lots of cabbages and perilla leaves. Al gobchang (Al beef intestines), which means the superlative degree intestines, is really good and soft. It was seasoned with red pepper paste.

After eating intestines, you can mix some rice and vegetables with them.

This restaurant is the most famous store in this area. So in Cosmos festival at Han River Park, lots of people enjoyed its food.

Its price is 7000 won per serving. Famous food among commons became specialty in Guri.

Trackback Address ::

There are some objective indicators to judge economics status: trade balance, rate of operation, interest rate, and so on. And it is traditionally said that spicy food is sold more when the economy is bad.

There are lots of spicy food out there in China or Mexico including Korea where lots of people love spicy flavor. In China, they use mashed red pepper in their dishes. In Mexico, they use jalapeno peppers.

There is Buldakbal Golmok (fire-chicken foot alley) nearby Songnae Station in Bucheon.

You can imagine how spicy it is because of its strong adjective, 'fire'. They use special sauce made from Capsaicin, which makes spicy flavor of chili peppers more spicy.

Alley is about 50m long and there are 10 restaurants which sell Buldakbal (fire-chicken foot).

The sign is very noticeable; red letters in yellow background.

Actually, this Dakbal (chicken foot food) traces back to the Korean War. During war, ordinary people didn't have enough food to eat, so they ate even chicken foot after eating chicken. In cart bar, people grilled chicken foot after seasoning it.

In fact, chicken foot is kind of creepy. However, Collagen in it is known for its nutrition, which makes it famous these days. Also, if you use chicken foot in soup, it tastes much better and it becomes more savory.

I went to Yam Yam Fire-Chicken Foot restaurant located in the middle of the alley.

There were 12 tables with braziers inside and about four tables outside.

There was Mupyeu dakbal (boneless chicken foot), which was very soft to chew. But it would be still delicious if you try original chicken foot.

There are two set menus: both include gristle and steamed eggs. Only difference is chicken foot with bone or without bone. You can choose your own degree of pungency. I ordered midium-spicy flavor.

Side dishes set on the table first: radish water kimchi, a cold bath with sea mustard, a cabbage salad , salted perilla leaf , White Kimchi, and cold fish cake soup. They also served fruit drink, which could reduce the spicy flavor. Or you can just drink soup instead of it. That is a still good way to reduce pungency.

The color of the food is awesome. I could feel fire in its red color. Even though I ordered midium spicy flavor, it was still too spicy for me. But enjoying hot and spicy flavor is the purpose of this alley! You should try this because this alley is full of those food.

Gristle, a fried cartilage with some piece of meat, was excellent, too.

Thankfully, steamed egg reduced pungency. You can make rice balls with rice, dried laver, and some gristle.

B set menu includes this rice ball, fruit drink called coolpis, steamed egg, boneless chicken foot, and gristle. You should pay extra charge if you want more than one drink. The total price was 24000 won.

While eating, I decided not to eat this again because of its spicy, but after few days, I wanted it again.

One of the famous places in this town is a small but beautiful and charming park even though it is not that big as Il-San Lake Park.

Eubi Park, Un Jeong Lake Park, and Un Jeong Geon-Gang Park are connected together and there are various flowers, lake, stream, a fountain and a wading pool for children.

There is a food alley in front of Lotte Castle apartment across from Ga-on Elementary School and it is under construction now.

Today, I want to introduce a restaurant which is innermostly located; Galbi wa Milbat (Rib and Wheat Field).

There is a huge parking lot, which is very convenient. This store sells not only Galbi (rib) but lunch meal, so usually there are many people. When entered this store, Sutbul dwaeji galbi (charcoal fired-pork rib) stimulated my appetite.

Side dishes are Gang dwenjang (soybean paste stew), Kong namul bap (rice cooked with bean sprouts), Dweji galbi (pork ribs) and Yuja salad citron sauce. The Bap is excellent on Gang dwenjang (Soybean paste) because it is spicy but not that salty. Dweji galbi (Pork rib) with Buchu (chives) salad is also great.

Jjigae (Soup) and Tang (stew) were served in Ttukbaegi (earthen pot) and pancake, sweet pumpkin, Beoseot tangsuyuk (sweet and sour pork with mushroom), and various Vegetable Side Dishes were also served at table.

Trackback Address ::

There is Changsin Golmok Marketplace nearby line number one (Blue line) Dongdaemoon Station.

Both sides of this market have lots of restaurants which stand in line (about 140m)

This market is rather small, compared to other markets in Seoul.

Like the name suggests, Golmok market is smaller than Gwangjang Market, Namdaemun Market, or Dongdaemoon Market.

However, in Changsin Golmok Market, there are lots of stores which have charming and warmth. The first thing people notice when enter this market is a snack stall which sell flour based food.

Snack stall, which is from the wagon used for long trip during westward movement, is still used in Korea as a place for comfortable and friendly snack bar.

It has been more than 30 years since this snack stall carried on business.

The owner knows everyone in this area. She took over the business from her mother. She is kind-hearted; she throws in a few more.

There is no sign there, so I will call this stall as "Yet-Nal-Tteokbokki", which is written in the wall. The owner said, "It was really hard time when my mother first opened this stall. Sometimes she earned less than 5 dollars. But she didn't give up and one day sales volume doubled. Thanks to this stall, she could educate her children, married her daughter off, and then finally hand this over to me. She always says that there is no lucky break. You should make steady and persistent effort. I keep this in my mind."

There are more than ten fried food; chili, vegetable, rolled seaweed, sweet potato, bread, squid, and the meat inside a razor clam. Each one is 500 won and there are also fried dumplings (Twe-kim) and fish cake, which is 600 won. You can buy Tteokbokki for 2000 won. Fried food is made with dough and various ingredients. It is very popular food among ordinary people.

Drink fish cake soup first when you eat fish cake (Auh-muk). There is a brush and spray for applying soy sauce to your fish cake. Red pepper paste used in Tteokbokki is special seasoning the owner made.

There is an entrance when you pass by this snack stall. Walk into the alley 11 O'clock direction. Both sides of the street are full of stores; beef intestines, pork belly, fried dish, side dish, rice with soup, skate, pork hocks, vegetable store, adzuki-bean ice dessert, bakery, daily necessity, mill, and butcher's ! Everything is available in this market.

In the middle of this market, there is a Changsin Tteokbokki store.

One old woman runs this store and sells fried dish, Tteokbokki, and Sundae.

Tteokbokki, which consists of fish cake, rice cake and red pepper paste, is must-have food in flour based food store. However, main dish in this store is Sundae. People mix vegetable and glutinous rice together and put them in pork intestines. Then steam it.

This is similar to Chorizo in South America, but the filling made of vegetable and glutinous rice is the difference between them. It costs 2000 won and other parts of pork, for example, its liver and lung, also served together. It is optional whether you choose other parts of pork or not, but it is better when you eat them together. Eat Sundae with salt and fish cake soup.

The owner is 70 years old and it has been 20 years since she opened this store. She has been the longest in this area. She had suffered hard time but these days she can go on a trip with her neighbors. One Sundae was really plentiful for one person. She threw a lot in.

We can say that this small market is also cultural heritage; even though it isn't that big, magnificent, or well-appointed, people can feel humanity when they visit this place. I think that is enough for being a cultural heritage. This market should be in good preservation with Dongdaemun Castle.

Location : Take line number one (blue line) and get off at Dongdaemoon Station. Take exit 3 and turn left after going straight for 30m.

Trackback Address ::

Because of unprecedented radioactivity problem, lots of people who are in the fishing industry worry about their future. A radiation leakage accident in Fukushima, Japan really influence we Koreans.

It is important to check fishery imports from Japan, conduct radioactivity check, and undertake post measure. But false rumors do make customers rarely eat marine products.

I did not go to Noryangjin Fisheries Wholesale Market because of that kind of critical mind.

It is true that I selfishly thought the price might be lower than usual because of this accident. There is a pedestrian overpass to Noryangjin Market nearby Noryangjin Station. If you cross the overpass, cutting through the train track, you can get out of the building and there you go.

The outside part of the Market is full of living seafood. Inside, there are many wholesale stores which sell the products by box.

The first joy of visiting this market is buying lots of marine products while watching them. And second is eating them right away on the spot.

For this reason, across from the market, there is a Sashimi Center, which cook marine products you buy. Roughly speaking, there are more than ten restaurants.

You would be better to look around seafood, first. Compare the price or see if the owner can throw in a few more. I decided to purchase crab and conch.

Snow crab is more than ten thousand won by kilogram.

Some are more than ten kilograms, which made me buy cheaper one. Blue crab is bigger than one in conventional market. It is 25000 won by 1 kilogram.

The owner of Cheonan Store threw a few more. It is better to say give more products than lower the price. Because it is a kind of rule; most stores don't care to throw something into the bargain but they don't like reduce a price. Rather, they prefer not to sell them.

I bought big blue crabs which were bigger than adult's palm at 25000 won.

Next, I bought conch at Haenam Ttang Kkeut store.

The price was 20000 won by kilogram and the owner gave one more.

The conch was little bigger than plum.

The second floor had a lot of sushi restaurants.

Basically, these stores make seafood roasted, steamed, or boiled in soup at 7000 won by 1kg.

Separately, you should pay 3000 won per person for seasoning.

It cost me 8000 won for steaming the crab and 7000 won for boiling the conch.

There were red pepper paste in container and a small dish for soy sauce with wasabi.

They served boiled conch in ten minutes. The conch was chopped into bite-sized pieces and had the smell of the sea. According to your preference, you can choose red pepper paste or soy sauce.

It doesn't matter whether you eat blue crab or snow crab. All need the same way; first, peel its shell and put aside it for delicacy when you eat all meats inside the crab. Cut the body in a half and enjoy the white crab meat. They were really fresh.

I also ordered cool beer and Maeuntang, fish stew.

If you buy live fish for sashimi, you can use its head and bone as ingredients for Maeuntang. One small Maeuntang is 20000 won.

The bitter and sweetish taste of a crab shell is addictive. My daughter, who normally doesn't like seafood, still remembers the taste of mixing boiled rice with seasonings in a crab shell.

In the crab shell you saved for later, add sesame oil, red pepper paste and mix them with its internal organs. You can use butter instead of sesame oil, which is also good. Then add rice and mix them together. It had flavor savory, sour, and bitter taste at the same time when you eat.

The total budget was rather expensive, but it was really good experience that I could choose seafood and ate them on the spot. And bargaining with the owner was also interesting. Watching their lives in the market and feeling them, I really enjoyed this short trip to Noryangjin Market.

Trackback Address ::

The food culture of Daegu was actually not flourishing. Due to the effect of yangban (Korean nobles) culture in Joseon Dynasty, Daegu has developed based on the conservative Confucian culture. Then, the traditional food of Daegu has developed for ancestral rites. The food of Daegu and Gyeongsangbuk-do is gentle and simple; on the other hand, the food of Jeolla looks colorful and gorgeous.

Through the art, the clothes, as well as the form of the cultural things of Silla and Baekje, we can recognize the effect of those cultures.

About 20 years ago when the food culture was not flourishing, Goditang(Black Snail Soup) had been one of the representative food in Daegu. The ingredients from Daegu were scanty so that the soup of black snails caught in a stream was nominated as one of the representative dishes. However, they could also make the different kind of food, like Andong-sikhye.

There might be a reason that the food cultures of two regions – Gyeongsang province and Jeolla province – are different. Gyeongsang province has produced less products than Jeolla which has produced lots of rice from when Korea was under Japanese rule. Even though it was because of Japan’s colonial exploitation policy, the food culture sprang up in the thriving region Jeolla. Also, Jeolla province’s own local feeling played a role.

Compared to the nobles of Gyeongsang province who saved their faces, the nobles of Jeolla had a taste for the arts and fashion.

When we visited Daegu after such a long time, one of my acquaintances guided us to ‘Sigol Buttumak’. Such a broad space and the tables show that the food culture of Daegu is now flourishing.

At first, we wanted Kodarijjim(the Pollack Stew), but finally ordered Suyuk(Boiled Pork).Suyuk with medical herbs was cut into thick pieces and served. Suyuk made in Gyeongsang province has a soft texture.Chili peppers with Ssamjang depend on the taste – whether the taste is hot or not.

Seasoned raw rays taste sweet and sour.

At some point, Japchae(Stir Fried Noodles with Vegetables) has been served at Korean parties, and we feel like getting proper service when Japchae made of cellophane noodles is served. After that, Haemul Pajeon(Seafood Scallion Pancake) was following. The original Haemul Pajeon was from Dongnae, but these days Haemul Pajeon has become a national food. The south and north Gyeongsang province are different in terms of their lives. Especially, the people living in Daegu/Gyeongsangbuk-do call Gyeongsangnam-do ‘Hado’; it means ‘the lower part’.

Superficially, Buk-do may sound like the upper part and Nam-do may sound like the lower part. It is similar to the controversial issue about the meaning of ‘the right hand’ and ‘the left hand’.

Then, the main dish, Ulkeuni Kodarijjim, was served; it was ‘today’s special’. Kodari that is smaller than a pollack is steamed, and the dish is spicy and has a chewy texture. There are a lot of tofu in it, and the dish is good for the appetizer with drinks, especially for Makgeolli(Raw Rice Wine). (However, sorry to say, the light of the restaurant at dinner time was not well-prepared and the pictures taken are not that good. For that reason, I could not post the pictures.)

Spicy Kodarijjim was almost out of stock, and then the jar holding five colored noodles.It was knife-cut noodles with perilla seeds. The five colors of the noodles looked wonderful. The soup includes lots of perilla seeds and it strengthens our body.

The dinner in Daegu whose food has become better made me feel as if I came back to my home-town dwelling. Especially, I would like to highly recommend the soup of five colored noodles with perilla seeds. Soft Suyuk and spicy Kodari are also good to be recommended in this restaurant.

Trackback Address ::

At one time, Jajangmyeon(Black-bean-sauce Noodles) and Tangsuyuk(Sweet and Sour Pork) were the best dishes for dining out.

After that, Samgyepsal(Roasted Pork) and Roasted Beef landed the position. Then, Jokbal(Pigs’ Feet Cooked with Soy Sauce and Spices) has come into the spotlight as the menu for eating out or a capital accompaniment of drinks.

Actually, Jokbal can be cooked at home, but generally it is hardly thinkable.

The additional ingredients added when boiling Jokbal differ from restaurant to restaurant, and Jokbal in each restaurant brings out a distinctive flavor.

Jokbal’s own chewy texture, mild taste, and aroma are hard for us to resist even if we go on a diet.

Today, we are heading for the well-known Jokbal restaurant near Sindorim Station.

One of the gourmet restaurants’ characters is that a place name is added to the restaurant’s name.

For example, so is Myung-dong Kalguksu, and so are Hongcheon Ttukbaegi and Naju Gomtang.

In addition, it is a good strategy that the words, ‘wonjo(original)’ and ‘halmae(grandma)’, are added to the restaurant’s name; it may offer nostalgic value.

The name of today’s restaurant is ‘Namdaemun Halmae Wangjokbal’.

In the name, there are even three euphuistic phrases.

They are Namdaemun, Halmae(Grandma), and Wang(King).

‘Namdaemun Jokbal’ sounds like a famous restaurant, Halmae Jokbal looks delicious, and Wangjokbal seems to have generous servings. This restaurant focuses all these three things.

At first sight, Jokbal seems to have very little (lean) meat to eat because it contains lots of fat and it is high in the amount of bones. However, contrary to our expectations, it has tasty meat all over the bones.

Also, when boiling Jokbal, soy sauce and all kinds of medical hurbs are added in order to remove the smell of the pork. Due to the medical hurbs, Jokbal can be said to be healthy food.

Another way to remove the smell is adding coffee (to it).

Everyone must know that Jokbal’s unique smell can be removed by adding just a small amount of coffee.

The restaurant was easily found and made good use of the available space.

Actually, there were only five to six tables. However, the restaurant utilized more than triples the space, including the aisle and the tables of open-air cafe. The reason why the restaurant utilized a large space might be many customers visited the restaurant.

Also, the restaurant used a small room beside the restaurant as an annex. On that day, my family occupied the room.

We understood most of the menus, except Banbani; Ban means ‘a half’ in Korean.

We asked it to the waiter; he said “A half of the dish is spicy and the other is mild.” Therefore, the name was created.

Like Jjam Jja Myun(a half of Jajangmyeon and a half of Jjamppong) as well as a half of seasoned chicken and a half of fried chicken, this dish is for both, the people who prefer spicy food and the other.

For that reason, we ordered the dish.

Banbani consists of the small ankle-to-toes cuts and the lean meat. Usually, the small ankle-to-toes cuts called as ‘mini Jokbal’ are the spicy ones, and the lean meat is mild.

Trackback Address ::

When walking around the busy streets of Seoul, you are easily bound to come across a plethora of Korean-Chinese food.

Just in my neighborhood alone, it is home to four of them, all a few minutes distance from one another.

So, to put it mildly, competition is pretty fierce. However, as common as they are, each restaurant has their own unique twist on a type of cuisine that can only be done the way it is, here in Korea.

One important rule of thumb, you must prevent yourself from comparing Chinese food in the U.S. to the way it is made here. So, don’t expect to find General Tso’s Chicken on the menu.

For the amount of time that I have been living in Korea, I’ve had my fair share of various experiences with Korean-Chinese food.

In my opinion, the restaurant I am going to introduce is by far, one of the best tasting and affordable in Seoul.

The name of this restaurant is called Wang Jjajang (왕짜장), which can be translated to the “King of Jjajang.”

I came to know of this place thanks to a co-worker and after my first visit, I’ve become a regular customer.

The outside of the building looks rundown, but it is decorated with a large white sign, in black lettering and with a couple of cute cartoon characters.

As you enter inside, you are immediately welcomed in by the sweet voice of a young lady, over the sound of the huge, flat screen TV hanging on the left corner of the restaurant.

The place is spacious, so you can sit anywhere you please.

On the right hand side, there is a counter that is connected to the kitchen, allowing you to take in the sites, sounds, and smell of whatever dish the cook is concocting.

The menu was strategically placed throughout the restaurant, making it easy for you to order.

The interior was simple, yet welcoming to customers. The seats were comfy as well.

On this day, it was my second time coming with a fellow co-worker, who ordered Bohk Jjamyun (볶짜면), which is a bowl equally divided into two sections and filled with fried rice covered in black bean paste sauce and an egg made into an omelette, on one side and Jjajangmyun (짜장면, Black Bean Paste Noodles) on the other.

I chose Jjamjjamyun (짬짜면), which is similar to the dish above except that it has Jjambbong (짬뽕, Spicy Noodles with Seafood and Vegetables) instead of fried rice.

Before our order came out, we were given a big bottle of water with a side dish of kimchi and radish with a few pieces of sliced onions and soy sauce paste.

These are typical side dishes given at any Korean-Chinese restaurant.

As we were deliciously eating, we both voiced the same opinion that our food tasted clean.

The Jjajangmyun wasn’t greasy, the fried rice didn’t feel oily, and the Jjambbong didn’t taste as though it was full of MSG.

This is one major reason why I keep coming to this restaurant, Korean-Chinese food made with the customer’s health in mind and without losing its flavorful taste.

In addition, the service was superb.

When we asked for extra plates, bowls, or extra side dishes; it was immediately given to us and at the same time, we would be asked if there was anything else that we needed.

Overall, as their slogan states, “Made with the Customer’s Health in Mind,” they definitely practice what they preach.

The taste and price isn’t overbearing and you won’t question what you just ate.

Don’t just take my word for it, go and experience the wonderfully made and affordable Korean-Chinese food that will make you wanting more.

Trackback Address ::

Guksu, or a bowl of noodles, is very special to Koreans. Like burger franchises in the United States, guksu restaurants are very common in Korea and can be found virtually anywhere, but unlike such franchises, guksu is a much healthier choice that also is rarely a direct cause to obesity. From simple and inexpensive "janchi-guksu," which are flour noodles in a hot broth made from anchovies, to "kal-guksu," which are thicker noodles in a hot broth topped with numerous ingredients, there is a diverse array of guksu that can be tasted throughout the peninsula.

Korea is special in that there are actual meals that are exclusively eaten in the summer because the food itself is cold. While Americans may cool themselves off in the midst of a sweltering summer drinking some ice-cold beverages or desserts after eating a dinner that was at the least warm, Koreans eat guksu, most commonly a guksu named "naeng-myun," which literally means "cold noodles" to both quench their hunger and wipe the summer heat off. It's delicious and it really does have you forgetting that it's summer, but that's not the only guksu-crave Koreans when it's sweating season. Cold noodles (not "naeng-myun" but cold noodles in general) can be found as commonly as hot ones and when it's reaching 30 degrees Celsius even during cloudy weather in Seoul, cold noodles are definitely the go-to guksus if you're itching to satisfy your slurping desires.

Like I've mentioned a couple times already, guk-su can be found anywhere in Korea, but a few days back we found a restaurant named Mapo Instant Buckwheat Village (translated from 마포즉석모밀촌) located in Hapjeong that offered something very unique. The "all-you-can-eat" trend in restaurants has been increasingly popular in Korea as of recent, and this restaurant offers exactly that at the mere price of 4,500 won. It offers several guksu options mostly made out of buckwheat noodles and if you feel like stuffing yourself with some noodles, you just have to ask for more noodles and they'll give you more noodles for no additional cost (although getting more broth will cost you an extra 1,000 won; for more information, proceed to "How much does it cost?")

Due to the rainy climate, it was humid and I was sweating quite a bit when we entered the restaurant, so at first I was disappointed when I realized that they didn't have any air conditioners or electric fans around the restaurant. When our ice-cold guksu came, however, we knew why such temperature controllers were completely unnecessary. All that was needed were a couple chopstick dunks to say bye to the irresistible heat and hunger.

There's nothing too special about how this restaurant looks. This restaurant looks like the typical Korean traditional restaurant that doesn't seem to place design as a priority. Personally, I think it's perfectly fine, seeing that most Korean restaurants that sell this type of food are like this.

There are quite a few tables and chairs, so it accommodates quite a bit of people. When we were there in the afternoon, not too many people were there, but according to Korean blogs that write about this restaurant, it's often packed with customers waiting out the door at their busiest hour. As we headed out after eating our food, we realized that the restaurant was suddenly packed and a few decibels louder than when we first arrived. We were lucky that day to be granted the freedom to choose whichever seat we wanted when we passed through the door.

All of the tables were clean and tidy, and each table was set up with a few sauces that you can add unto your guksu, a tissue box and a wooden box that only holds chopsticks. This restaurant strangely didn't have spoons alongside the chopsticks in the wooden box but it does make sense because using spoons to eat noodles just isn't right in Korean culture. It's also highly uncomfortable, but if you need one, you can just ask one of the employees and they'll happily give you one.

One thing to note about this restaurant is that the number of guksu bowls purchased must match the amount of people eating for the unlimited refill policy to go into effect. For that reason, from the five guksu types this restaurant offers, my father, sister and I ordered three of their most popular guksu: the Soba, Mak-guksu and Bibim-guksu.

Upon ordering, we were given yeolmu kimchi and danmuji (단무지) which is yellow picked radish. Danmuji is most often eaten with Koreanized Chinese food such as jjajang-myun or jjam-pong so it was a bit strange seeing it served here, but it does seem like more and more han-shik (Korean food) places are implementing this into their banchan set.

Then, the food started coming out, starting with what seems to be this restaurant's primary specialty, the Buckwheat Soba. It's strange that it's called that way because soba is Japanese for buckwheat which means that "Buckwheat Soba" is really saying the same thing twice. There's no need to be too technical, though, because it really doesn't matter.

Nevertheless, for those who are unfamiliar with what this is, soba is Japanese noodles that are eaten after dipping and swirling the buckwheat noodles in a broth that is often mixed with wasabi, giving every dip a spicy kick. Koreans (and I'm sure other foreigners might as well) think the way it is eaten is unique, which is why it has gained quite a bit of popularity in Korea and even around the world.

The cold broth came first on a relatively small bowl alongside a plate with some diced scallions and grated radish. I put the scallions and radish right into the broth and swirled it together, forming the delectable dip for the noodles that I was eagerly waiting for. Liquefied wasabi is also available on every table, so I added some of that into the broth as well.

After mixing all of the ingredients together, the noodles came, and our mouths just fell open to how much they gave us.

Although it's not outrageous, it's definitely a large portion of noodles placed atop a plastic zaru. Seeing that you can eat an unlimited amount, it seems like they just give you an immense amount to start with.

In terms of taste, it tastes like soba. It's nothing extraordinary, but you can't expect that with the prices they're selling the noodles for. Personally, for me it lacked that kick that I was looking for but I think it may be because I put only a little bit of wasabi, fearing that putting too much would be overwhelming. It does taste like soba though, and it IS undoubtedly soba so it tasted good. It felt good seeing the stacked noodles on the side as well because I knew that I would never be running out. Having that made each dip more enjoyable and even relaxing.

The ice-cold broth really cooled the lukewarm noodles almost instantly as every bite was really refreshing. I didn't need to drink any cold water while eating because the noodles really brought my temperature down. The scallions, radish and even the dried seaweed mixed well with the broth and it felt like any other solid ingredients were unnecessary. Even to the last bite, I continually craved the next dip.

The next guksu that came out was the Bibim-guksu, which essentially means "Mixed Guksu." The "bibim" in this guksu's name is the same "bibim" as that of "bibimbap", so both dishes are similar except one's mixed rice and the other is spicy mixed noodles.

For the bibim-guksu, the cold buckwheat noodles were topped with different ingredients, including different kinds of lettuce, radish, etc. The thick spicy gochujang (red chili paste) broth was on the bottom of the noodles so you need to mix it in order to start eating it and feeling the heat. By nature of what the bibim-guksu is, there is not too much broth, as compared to other conventional guksus so it serves more as a sauce used to give the noodles that spicy flavor.

I personally really liked the bibim-guksu. It tasted like traditional bibim-guksu but it wasn't too spicy. It was undoubtedly spicy, but it was a mixture of spicy and sweet, with spicy taking over about 70% of the mix. For me personally, it was a perfect mix and when I was finished with my soba, I couldn't stop eating from my sister's bibim-guksu. If you're looking for something spicy, this won't be the spiciest option, but it's nevertheless really flavorful and refreshing.

Last but not least was one of the restaurant's most popular guksus, the Mak-guksu. I'd say that mak-guksu is similar to naeng-myun, except mak-guksu is spicier and contains more ingredients. This mak-guksu had some of the yeolmu kimchi that was served to us before the guksus came out and it seemed to contain similar ingredients as the bibim-guksu. It's definitely more broth-based than the bibim-guksu, however, so if that's your preference, this would be your ideal guksu.

The Mak-guksu was really refreshing. Although it was spicy, I'd say that it's the same spiciness Koreans feel after eating kimchi. To say it simply, it was a spiciness that was definitely felt but not a spiciness that gets you sweating because of the heat. If you want to taste a truly traditional and original Korean guksu that is most popular in the summer, mak-guksu is definitely the way to go.

After we all surprisingly finished our respective guksu's, we decided that we could eat some more so we ordered some extra noodles. This is where the "unlimited refill" comes into play. We asked one of the employees to give us a bit more and she came back with some noodles on one of the guksu bowls. We still had quite a bit of our broth left so all we needed to do was put the noodles into the broth and start eating again. Unfortunately, they didn't give us more vegetables or anything, so the refill was quite bland and it was definitely not as refreshing as the first time, which was a bit disappointing. Having eaten a whole lot of vegetables and ice-cold noodles from the huge amount they gave in the first place, however, it really wasn't that devastating.

In the end, we were filled up after that first refill. I was slightly disappointed to only have eaten one noodle refill, but the amount that they served initially was so much that everything I ate actually amounted to quite a lot. Also, due to the affordable price, it didn't feel like I was not eating my money's worth -- rather, it felt like I was eating much more than the amount I was paying for. Considering that other guksu places cost about the same amount for the same food and serve much less than this restaurant offers, this restaurant is a place to check out if you want to taste some healthy cold guksu and wouldn't mind eating large quantities of it.

All five of their specialty guksus cost exactly 4,500 won except for the only warm guksu from the lot, the buckwheat janchi-guksu, which costs 4,000 won. If you order a guksu for each person you are with, you can order as many noodles as you can eat and they'll start you off with quite a bit of food.

The most unfortunate part may be that the vegetables or broth are not included in this deal, so if you want more broth you need to pay an extra 1,000 won for every order. It's honestly not too expensive, but it still sucks to see that 4,500 turn into 5,500 on your bill nevertheless. For most normal people, however, you won't have to worry about that because the broth that they serve you from the start will be enough to get you filled up.

Beside the guksu's they offer and each of their prices on the menu, there are 4 points that they want you to be aware of. These points are translated and slightly explained by myself within the parentheses so mind that "you" means you, the customer, and "us" means the restaurant or the employees when written outside of the parentheses:

1. If you do not order the same amount of guksus as the amount of people who are with you (for example, ordering 2mak-guksus for 3 people), you will only be given a "regular" amount of noodles for your order (which is probably not the amount we received from the get-go).

2. If you will be eating a lot, let us know beforehand.

3. We do "wrap" your noodles if necessary (wrap as in: you do not have to eat the food at the restaurant; they will wrap it for you so you can enjoy the guksu at home).

4. If you need extra banchan(the yeolmu-kimchi and danmuji), you need to get it yourself.

This restaurant is unfortunately not close to a station, so you will need to ride a bus to get here. It is walking distance, but it's much faster just to take a bus to that area. It will only take a few minutes and exactly 4 stops so it will not be too bad. It won't cost you more money either because you will most likely be getting off from a subway station anyways. If you're not, however, it will still be worth your 1,200 won or however much the bus costs.

Trackback Address ::

Beside Bucheon city, there are mountains that are open to hiking and our family has taken advantage of that luxury several times. On that road towards the entrace of that hiking trail, a rather large two-floor cafe sat rather isolated and a bit out of place. In a sense, it felt like a piece of modernization in the midst of complete nature, but seeing how society's gradually become that way it was not the most surprising.

Nevertheless, every time I passed through that "Caffe Raum", I kept thinking that I should visit it to see how it is like. What prevented me from visiting might have been the presupposition I held that such large cafes were incomprehensibly expensive, but with much courage and curiosity I finally got my chance to take a look after taking a quick hike with my wife and youngest daughter.

Before heading into the cafe, my wife prompted us to go into the cafe just to drink some coffee, but thoughts changed when she looked into the menu placed neatly on the table. Suddenly, she was ordering an entire meal: pasta, pizza and last but definitely not least.. coffee.

As soon as the food was served, we immediately grabbed ahold of our forks and began to eat. The food was great but the pickles that were served as side dishes stood out to me. Most pickles that are sold in markets in Korea at times have people making spontaneous and unintended faces due to their sourness but these beautifully colored pickles were just right in their mixture of sweetness and sourness.

The seafood pasta.

To my surprise, quite a variety of seafood was placed atop the cream-infused pasta. It had a very soothing taste and the fragrance coming out of the different herbs sprinkled on the pasta made it that much better. After a few fork dabs unto the pasta, it almost magically disappered.

Garlic bread is delicious no matter when it's eaten, but it's especially good when it is eaten after using it to clean the cream sauce off a cream pasta that people have finished eating. It's quite an eerie yet satisfying feeling when both the original crispiness is tasted after the soft and deliciously soggy part of the garlic bread melts in your mouth.

It was undoubtedly not enough for three people to eat this relatively small pizza, but these pizzas are not meant to fill hungry customers up anyways. The thin crusted pizza was crunchy and the baked taste of the sliced almonds fit quite well with the melted cheese atop the crust.

For coffee, I got a latte. I personally like the feeling when the bitterness of the coffee flows into my mouth mixed with the foam floating over it. It's different for everyone.

They're very different, as you can see, but it's difficult to choose one when both options are equally available and equally distant.

In the end, I ended up walking faster towards the Naengmyun Street (냉면 거리) almost instinctively and stood in front of an arch with words of welcome encrypted on it.

This Naeng-myun Street is specifically named "Hwa-pyung-dong Washbasin Naeng-myun Street" (화평동 세수대야 냉면거리). Many naeng-myun places label their noodles as being in a washbasin, signifying how large the bowl it's served in is. This is how all of the noodles in this street were labelled. Despite the apparent size of these noodles, most of these places serve these noodles affordably, notably this place where each "washbasin naengmyun" is only 3,500 won.

I continued walking and saw many parking lots to restaurants and hungry customers walking in and out of several restaurants.

One particular restaurant caught my eye -- not through any unbelievably cheap prices or tasty looking pictures but rather a large picture of someone's face. The figure inside the picture was someone I knew to be an actor that featured in a Korean drama that was released a long time ago when I was young. This particular drama was a drama that my grandmother especially enjoyed watching. Since it caught my eye, I decided I'd walk into this restaurant and see if the noodles were as nostalgic as the picture that initially drew me in.

The restaurant was named "Naeng-myun Heaven."

Expectations just rose higher as I saw the name of the restaurant.

The naengmyun was cold, just like it's supposed to be and it was okay. Unfortunately, it was the washbasin size I had envisioned. Like it's said, if you have high expectations, you're sometimes bound to face higher disappointments. The noodles were chewy and the ice-cold broth was refreshing. It was a tad bit spicy which was a bit disappointing, but for spicy-lovers this would fit their tongues perfectly.

Around East Incheon Station(Dong Inchen Yeok), there are many sights to see and more importantly, many food streets to visit. The naengmyun street, however, is one to surely visit especially in the summer when the sweatdrops that drip must be replenished with the sweet and sour broth of this tasty delicacy.

I got to take a picture of the actor that came out in the drama that I aforementioned.

Trackback Address ::

It's monsoon season and temperatures are soaring up past 30 degrees Celsius. Due to the high humidity and heat, the increase of stress and even frustration is inevitable. I was no difference and I was wondering whether there would be a place where I could reduce these almost responsive yet undesirable emotions.

That's when I found this restaurant called "Dang-geun Nakji" (당근낙지) which in direct translation means "Carrot Squid". Yes, not the most "normal" restaurant names, but I walked in nevertheless to wipe the heat off with some "buckwheat makguksu" (메밀막국수).

The "Dang-geun (Carrot) Buckwhat Makguksu" costs exactly 4,900 won, which is unfortunately a 1,000 won increase from a former 3,900. The temperature is apparently not the only thing rising this summer.

The refreshing taste that makes these noodles so attractive hasn't changed though.